Traffic in central Jakarta was brought to a stand-still on Wednesday afternoon as Islamist groups protested against the persecution of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims.

The crowd of a few thousand people rallied outside the Myanmar embassy and at the nearby Selamat Datang Monument, or welcome roundabout, and demanded the Indonesian Government kick Myanmar's diplomats out of the country.

There have been a number of rallies in the capital but police numbers significantly increased today with ultra-conservative groups like the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) joining the protest.

"We can't let them hurt and torture our brothers and sisters," one protestor told the ABC.

"Their rights as Muslims are being repressed," another woman said of the treatment of the Rohingya.